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Building Learning Communities in the Virtual World

Student. Peers. The Learning Web. Technology. Instructor. Content. Building Learning Communities in the Virtual World. Dr. Keith Pratt And Dr. Rena Palloff. Community is a Dynamic Whole that Emerges When A Group of People:. participate in common practices

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Building Learning Communities in the Virtual World

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  1. Student Peers The Learning Web Technology Instructor Content Building Learning Communities in the Virtual World Dr. Keith Pratt And Dr. Rena Palloff

  2. Community is a Dynamic Whole that Emerges When A Group of People: • participate in common practices • depend on one another • make decisions together • identify themselves as part of something larger than the sum of their individual relationships • commit themselves for the long term to their own, one another’s, and the group’s well-being.” “Carolyn Shaffer and Kristin Anundsen, 1993”

  3. Elements of Online Communities • People • Purpose • Policies • Computer Systems (Preece, 2000)

  4. Two Additional Elements of Online Learning Communities • Collaborative Learning • Reflective Practice

  5. Some Principles for Making Virtual Communities Work • Use software that promotes good discussions • Let the users resolve their own disputes • Promote continuity • Let real life in • Most important: deal with conflict & crisis • (Adapted from: Mike Godwin, Wired Magazine, June 1994)

  6. Facilitation Faculty Guidance Teamwork Mutually Negotiated Guidelines Collaborative Learning Community Focused Outcomes Active creation Of knowledge & meaning Shared Goals Interaction & Feedback Buy in from Everyone

  7. Student Roles in Online Learning Communities • Knowledge Generation • Collaboration • Process Management

  8. Student Responsibilities in Community Formation • Openness • Flexibility • Honesty • Willingness to Take on Responsibility • Willingness to Work Collaboratively

  9. Keys to Online Facilitation Honesty Responsiveness Relevance Respect Openness Empowerment

  10. New Approaches, New Skills Access to/and familiarity with the technology Guidelines and Procedures which are flexible, free-flowing, and generated predominately by the participants Participation and “Buy-In” Collaborative Learning Triple-Loop Learning

  11. Tips for a Successful Online Class Establish guidelines for the class and for participation that provide enough structure for the learners but allow for flexibility and negotiation. Mandate participation (we usually mandate at least two posts a week) and incorporate it into student evaluation and grading. Promote collaborative learning through small group assignments, case studies, simulations, and group discussion of readings and assignments.

  12. Tips Have students post their assignments and encourage feedback to one Another on their work. Grades should be shared privately. Set up a well-organized course site that includes a place for students to socialize. Include an area where students can reflect on what it is like to learn online.We call this“Electronic Reflections.”

  13. Tips Encourage students to bring real-life examples into the online classroom. The more relevant the material is to their lives, the more likely they are to integrate it. Don’t lecture!!! An online lecture just becomes another article that students are required to read. Stay present!! Let your students know you are there by commenting on their posts and asking additional questions for them to consider.

  14. Tips Become comfortable enough with the technology to be able to answer student questions about its use and assist them when they run into difficulty. Act as a Learning Facilitator rather than an instructor. Most of all, have fun and open yourself to learning as much from your students as they will learn from one another and from you!

  15. Words of Wisdom We need to create an atmosphere of inclusion and safety in all our learning and meeting settings, whether electronic or face-to-face, or web-enhanced. Participants need to be able to speak and debate their ideas without fear of retribution from any source. Facilitators need to act as “playground monitors”orgentle guides while participants “play in the sandbox,” developing the norms and rules as they go. Learning online is not about power and control, it’s about inclusion, caring, and inquiry; this is a co-constructed “learning environment”.

  16. In Understanding the notion of online community, I think we must recognize the fact that no matter how attractive the option of being a sponge, it does not build community. Corals build community by each secreting their resources to build the reef and mutually supporting the group.  Santhi

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